County Commissioners Get Final List Of Transit Nominees

By Suzy Valentine
Three of four Miami-Dade County commissioners revisiting nominees to the transportation trust must choose a candidate or they may forfeit that right.

The nominating committee for the Citizens’ Independent Transportation Trust for Miami-Dade County prepared fresh slates of four names on Tuesday for three districts in which commissioners rejected candidates and for a fourth where a trust member resigned. Commissioners this week are to receive the committee’s latest lists of names.

It’s the second time commissioners Barbara Jordan, Barbara Carey-Shuler and Bruno Barreiro are to consider a shortlist for this year’s tenure. Commissioner Natacha Seijas needs to select a replacement for her district.

A commissioner who rejects a slate for the second time does not have a third opportunity. Though the county has not imposed a deadline for the new selections to the trust, the county commission may, after 30 days, choose its own candidate for a district where a shortlist has already been rejected. Otherwise the seat could remain vacant.

The trust has 15 seats, 13 of which represent commission districts. Mayor Carlos Alvarez and the Miami-Dade League of Cities appoint the other two representatives.

The trust nominating committee is to meet in early 2006 to list replacements for districts whose panelists step down in May. Commissioners Carlos Gimenez, Dennis Moss, Katy Sorenson and Rebeca Sosa must then make selections.

"Not to jinx it," said trust Executive Director Nan Markowitz at Tuesday’s nominating committee meeting, "but hopefully we won’t need to meet again until the spring, when we have our next round of candidates whose terms expire in May."

Ms. Markowitz set next year’s timetable.

"Come February I’ll start advertising for a month," she said, "so around March or April we will need to get together. Presuming everybody chooses somebody, that’ll be the next time we meet."